New to Fairy Tail: Part One
by BleachedSamurai
Summary: A new member has joined Fairy Tail and they are holding on to a horrible past that brushes off of everyone in the guild, including Jet. She's difficult to say the least. Who is she and what sort of past is she harboring? GaLu is hinted but not enough screen time. CH. 4 UPDATED, REWRITTING LAST FIVE CHAPTERS.
1. The Newcomer

Hey guys, this one came out on a whim and just had to share it. There may be some OOC-ness but hopefully it's not too out of character for you. The other character is someone I created and have a picture I drew of them as the cover. You can see a full description of my character on my wordpress blog, the link is on my profile. Let me know what you think and sorry if it's too lengthy. R&amp;R, please.

* * *

It's just as normal as any other day in the guild hall. The conversations were loud, quiet a few were already in brawls this early in the morning. One of those brawls contained the ice-mage who is practically in his navy boxers hammering it out with the fire dragon slayer. The sight of the two is comical considering the amount of flesh because oddly enough, Natsu is only in his puffy pants and white scarf still wrapped his neck. He tossed his vest to the side at some point, but Lucy doesn't know when he did or where it landed for that matter.

She watched the two fight sitting at the bar with a strawberry shake in hand and an apparent annoyed expression accompanying her brown eyes. Who wouldn't be annoyed at the loud mouths? Usually, Gajeel would jump in on the fight with them but obviously the guy is in no mood to spar with them since he sat adjacent to her with his beer and pile of scrap metal snacks. Its unusual for him to sit near her to begin with but she didn't mind it. He at least gave her some company while Mira tended to other customers needs.

Lucy made a quick glance at the iron dragon slayer then spoke for the first time since he joined her at the bar. "When are you going to jump in? You usually like to fight."

"Yeah, usually, but I'm in no mood for those two morons."

This confused Lucy, because he's never in bad moods where he could take out his frustrations in brawls like Gray and Natsu's. She could tell just from his tone that he gave off that there was something in particular bothering him and for some reason, Lucy wanted to know what that is. She considered him a friend for a while so she wanted to try and figure out what it is that is bothering and help him through it.

"Since when are you not in mood to fight? Is something bothering you?"

"Nothing you should worry about, blondie." He retorted roughly then a jugged what was left of his now stale beer.

A little hurt from him brushing off her concern for the dragon slayer, Lucy was about to snap back when Mira finally came back to the bar with a silver tray in front of her stomach.

"Oh don't worry about him, Luce. He's been that way since a new lady member joined our guild today."

This caught Lucy's interest. She didn't know that someone new joined their guild but the fact that Gajeel has been acting oddly. Come to think of it, Lucy noticed he was acting strangely when he suddenly decided to join her at the bar. Including the fact that he isn't anywhere near her best friend, Levy and Team Shadowgear. Did this new girl catch his attention or something? Then something sparked in her brain that put those few facts together.

"Oh, really. Did this new girl catch your eye, Gajeel?" Lucy hinted as she elbowed him gently in the ribs in a friendly manner. Lucy noticed that Mira backed up a little bit towards the crowd which made her second guess that assumption. She's a little nervous, but didn't dare show it.

Gajeel blushes but just as he does, he quickly regains composure to retort back and quiet loudly, too. "What? Are you out of your fucking mind? Hell no!"

Lucy stifles a chuckle because it was a little obvious from the tinge of pink that returned to his cheeks that she hit a nerve. She would love to push his buttons even further, but decided against it. He's already in a mood and she didn't want to add more fire to the flames. Instead, she figured she ease him out of his mood with a small smile in which he gave her a grunt in return. Typical.

"Oh lighten up, I was only messing around. Who is this new girl you're talking about, Mira?" Lucy asked the bar-maid.

Mira only smiled, which made Lucy think that she didn't know who it was that joined. "Um, to be honest, I really don't know their name." Mira replied nervously with a hand rubbing her hair in the same fashion. Lucy glared at her in surprise, Gajeel just seemed annoyed.

"Seriously?" they both asked the barmaid simultaneously.

"Sorry guys, I would have told you if I actually knew. I mean, I welcomed her to the guild in all and asked of her name, but she basically brushed me off. I guess you can say she is more interested in reading then getting to know her new family." Mira explained with a little hint of sadness behind that cheery tone.

"Well, that's rude. Where exactly is she in this chaos?" Lucy asked as she tried to look for the new comer. Natsu and Gray are still going at it which should have been broken up a while ago but no one didn't seem to care.

"She's over there. Obviously she had the right of mind to keep a good distance away from those two battling the way they are." Mira replied as she pointed to a section of the guild hall where it was a little quieter.

Lucy followed her finger in the direction she pointed and saw the new girl reading a large book. The book is at a good angle where she could see her features unlike how Levy reads. The girl looked a little older then she is, maybe even close to Gajeel's age with dark green hair in a short, rebellious style. A large hunk of her bangs hung over half of her face, which only raised the question of how she could read with that much hair in the way. Her skin is a medium ivory tone and looked flawless from a far. If she could, Lucy would love to get closer to catch a glimpse of her eyes that are in a way hidden from her bright lavender glasses that sat just below the bridge of her nose. She looks smart, but there is certainly something odd about her that Lucy felt the same way as Gajeel is.

Lucy understands now why he seems bothered. Just from her first impression of the girl made her think that she could care less of the people around her and maybe not even care of what they thought of her. She seemed indifferent and cold, but Lucy wouldn't want to hold onto to that first impression. She's intrigued of the girls appearance and the item of clothing she wore. I mean, it's not everyday you see a girl wear a very settled color scheme of mostly earth tone greens and browns. Her top is sleeveless where most is a deep sage green and the little bit of what seemed to be sawgrass with beige handless gloves. She is unusual to say the least, but there is always a better side of someone if you took the time to know them well.

Lucy slowly stood away from the bar to try and spark a conversation with her until she noticed Levy along with Jet and Droy approach her. She held back to watch and took notice of Gajeel watching intently, maybe even listening to the conversation they're having.

* * *

The girl, from this good of a distance, could tell that they were a few people watching her which she didn't seem to mind. Of course, she could care less of what they were thinking, she just wanted some peace and quiet to read the latest mystery novel. Of course, she realized quickly that it is never quiet in this place. Despite her interest in reading, she observed her surroundings to watch intently of the sparing match at the front of the guild hall. She is annoyed by it, but nonetheless dealt with it. Hell, she looked out among the crowd to see if there was anyone she would be willing to spar with. She is interested to know what the other guild member's magic are, but her way of finding out is different from others.

She huffed a loud sigh from her lungs then continued to read when several shadows stood before her. Showing little interest in the people in front of her, she gave them a small glance just to let them know that she noticed their presence and tried to retain her attention to the book in front of her. Of course, one of them had to interrupt her which she didn't care for in the least.

"Hi, there. I just found out that you're new to the guild. I hope you don't mind if we give you a warm welcome to Fairy Tail."

The girl is annoyed but figured she at least exchange a few words before she returned to her book. It is an interesting novel and she's getting to a good part right now, so she had to chase them off. "I guess I should say thank you for the welcoming but right now I'm more interested in reading my newest novel." She said flatly in a silky, modest tone.

"I've noticed you got the newest mystery novel and I would have to say that I am quiet interested of what's about. I love to read as well, but I tend to drift to romance novels." Just as Levy was about to say more about books in general, the girl quickly interrupted and sounded quiet irritated that she was still talking.

"Listen, blueberry-patch. That wasn't an invitation to strike up a conversation with me and quiet honestly, I'm not in the mood to be around anyone right now. If you want to talk about books or whatever else you want, go talk to somebody else."

Levy was a little hurt from the girl barking like that but it also caused a little hatred towards her for being rude. It was just a friendly gesture of welcoming her to the guild, so why would she be bent out of shape with someone asking her questions.

"Look, lady. She was just being nice since you are basically in a corner like some kid. You didn't have to be rude like that." Jet quickly butted at the sight of his friend being talked like that.

"I have every right to be rude when I don't want to be bothered by anyone. You could at least respect that wish instead of continuing to stand there before me with your fists raised, carrot-top."

Jet instantly dropped his fists when she pointed that out, but he is still upset that this mysterious girl would talk to a fellow guild member like that. "What is your problem anyway? If you weren't a chick, I would be beating you up right about now." At that moment, Jet along with Levy and Droy say a flash of excitement in her eyes. They weren't sure what it meant, but something is about to happen that no one in the guild hall would have expected.

Natu and Gray's brawl stopped to ear in on their conversation along with everybody else to hear what the new girl will say to Jet's statement. A forced smile appeared then she gives Jet a deadly glare that sent shivers down his spine. "Should I take that as an open invitation to kick your ass to the ground, you punk?" she replies viciously as she stood. When she did, she revealed an interesting accessory that had everyone wondering what they were used for. Behind her is a set of metal plates that swooped down to the back of her knees, in a fan like tail. These metal plates are securely stamped and nailed to her lavender leather belt that has a odd emerald emblem implanted in the middle, it is a very interesting accessory.

Jet couldn't help but feel nervous and sweat drop from the way she said those words, maybe more specifically the stance she took. Her stance is incredibly intimidating and he is worried to take up a challenge against this girl when he doesn't know a thing about her magic. He stammered to say something but he couldn't produce any words in his defense. Needless to say, he's speechless.

"How about this, boy? You spare with me despite the gender difference. I would love to kick your ass right about now just like you would me."

"Wait, right now?" Jet stammered quickly.

"Yes, right now, you idiot! Now get outside, before I drag your ass out there!"

Everyone in the guild is shocked that Jet just picked a fight with someone, a girl to be exact. She may be in the right to be angry when she didn't want to be disturbed but she took it the extreme and kind of got off on the wrong foot with the guy. A good swift kick in the ass would do her some good to respect others, but since no one in the guild knows what kind of magic she has they don't know what could happen if they butted in. They all watched in awe as the mysterious woman walked out of the guild hall with Jet closely behind sweating bullets. Just as they exited the guild, people started to murmur.

"My moneys on the newbie!" Macao suddenly blurted with a mug in his hand.

"Are you serious? You're betting on the new girl?" Droy up roared.

"Why should I not? She seems strong, don't you think?"

"I don't know why you're betting to begin with, Macao? It's quiet obvious whose going to win and it's going to be Jet."

"Eh, I don't know. We don't know what kind of magic this girl has and honestly, I wouldn't give her the benefit of a doubt, if I were you."

"I still think Jet has a good chance at winning."

"Well, instead of talking about it let's go see for ourselves?" Natsu chimed happily.

"I'm with Natsu. I want to see this for myself. My money's on the newbie!" Gray agreed then rushed out of the guild with Natsu in tow. The others soon followed with a loud chatter while Lucy, Mira and Gajeel trailed slightly behind.

"I get the feeling that this one is different from the other brawls that happened in the past. It seems to me that this girl is wanting to prove her worth in my opinion." Lucy voiced as she trudged alongside Gajeel while Mira happily went ahead of them with a pad of paper and pen in hand. Obviously she wanted to take notes of the fight or keep track of bets, they couldn't tell which. But there's always a motive.

"Nah, I don't think she's trying to prove anything." Gajeel suddenly replies after a while.

"What makes you think that?"

"Honestly? There's something about her that rubs me the wrong way and I can't put my finger on it. She doesn't look the type to start a fight on a whim to prove anything, looks like she's fighting just for the joy of it."

"I think that is a bit of a stretch, but I would have to agree with you on one thing. She does show off as, how should I put it?" Lucy thought for a moment and was about to continue her thought when Gajeel interrupted.

"It doesn't matter. Let's see who gets squashed into a pancake first. Gihi." Gajeel replied with his signature grin then he picked up his pace to watch the fight unfold, his bad mood suddenly gone.

Lucy watched him for only a moment with a smile then quickened her pace to catch up.

* * *

Jet and the girl stood in the middle of the park with their eyes glaring in determination at their opponent. The girl could tell as they stood there that the entire guild is gathering around them to watch the two fight, but she didn't want their cheers and hollers to cloud her mind. She actually wished that they just stayed inside the guild so she could concentrate but she would have to admit that she doesn't mind the eager eyes watching on. She doesn't like having an audience when she spars to begin with but she let it slide, just this once. When the park got to the point where it could hold no more on lookers, she gives Jet a glare that he couldn't read.

"Are you ready, boy?"

"Will you stop calling that? I have a name you know!"

"I don't care what your name is. Before we even start, I have a few ground rules. The first one is no magic."

"Huh?"

"It will level out the playing field. I don't want to reveal my magic in a simple brawl, plus I'm quiet skilled in other areas of combat. So therefore, no magic. Break that rule, there will be sever consequences. Secondly, no cheap shots, it's a tactic I find insulting. Break that one, you will be equally punished. Thirdly and most importantly, no holding back. Give this fight your all and without the use of your magic. Are we agreed?"

Jet is confused on the rules but he did understand where she was coming from. They were good rules to go by. "Agreed. First, can I, get your name?"

This caught her of guard. No one really asked her of what her name was except for the bar-maid that welcomed her to the guild. She remembers her and would be making it up to her for being rude to her earlier. She shook the question off then refused to give him the answer he wanted. "Let's skip the formalities till afterwards. Now, as your challenger, you get the first strike. Remember, don't hold back, boy."

"Why the hell are you giving me the first shot? Shouldn't it be you to land the first punch?"

"As a woman, it would be a more gentlemen like approach to have the girl land the first hit, but in my book, it's the other way around. The challenger goes first before the opponent. Now attack me before I do, you dumbass."

* * *

Before the fight officially started, Gajeel and Lucy finally made it to the park where the fight was taking place but there was nowhere for them to stand. "Oh, you got to be kidding me! How the hell can we watch with all these people in the way?" Lucy blurted out of frustration.

Gajeel took a moment to look to see if there were any spots in the crowd to break through, but there was none much to his dismay. He looked away from the crowd to the tree and got an idea. He grinned mischievously then looked over at Lucy.

"Oi, bunny girl, you want a good seat?"

Confused, Lucy looked up at him with wonder but her expression changed when she caught that grin. "Oh god, what do you have in mind?"

He held that grin as he grabbed Lucy by the waist and hoisted her off the grounded where she managed a squeak in protest. "Gajeel! What the hell are you doing? Put me down!"

"Getting the best seats in the house, Bunny Girl." With that Gajeel leapt into the tree with Lucy in arm. She managed a yelp when he jumped into the tree then her protests were muffled from the thick leaves blocking her outraged expression. It was only a minute until Gejeel settled Lucy on a thick branch then planted himself next to her, his grin still on his face. It took Lucy a moment to gather her surroundings then turned her attention to the man beside her. She punched him in the shoulder that almost knocked both of them out of the tree but they managed to hold their balance.

"Warn me before you do something like that, you jerk."

"Oh shut up. You got what you wanted, right?"

Lucy momentarily looked down to see Jet and the girl in view, nothing blocking her view and was at an excellent angle. She smiled in appreciation then gave Gajeel a side glance, "Yeah, it's a perfect spot. Thanks."

Gajeel didn't reply back, he just looked ahead with a little twinge pink on his cheeks then watched as the fight begun to unfold.

* * *

Down below, Jet evaluated his opponent for a brief moment then decided to attack. He at first started out with a run to come at her for a frontal attack but his pace quickly changed to fly straightforward. He was Jet for a reason, he jetted across the grass at a speed that he believes the mysterious girl would not be able to react and end this fight quickly. However, the girl expected this somewhat. She was a little off guard that he resulted to such a tactic and was about to expect the full force of his hit, but it wouldn't be much fun though. Within a blink of an eye, Jet came close to landing a single punch to her face when she swiftly, but effortlessly dodged the attack.

Jet is shocked that she was able to dodge him but his shock is quickly replaced by pain when the girl swept under him and elbowed under his collarbone. It hurt to say the least, but just as he fell back he regained his footing and charged again with no luck. She dodged his arm again then sent him backwards from a massive kick to the stomach. His body slid across the grass for a few feet then jumped back up to deliver a kick himself but she swiftly dodged and counterattacked with a kick herself. This time, Jet was able to block and attempted to deliver a punch but with no success. She merely dodged his arm for the third time then swiftly twisted herself to land a kick on his chin with her left heel.

He stumbled of course, be regained his footing to throw numerous punches at her. All efforts were futile, and he had to wonder how in the world could she be so fast. He hasn't fought at this level and quiet honestly, his strategy has been thrown out the window. She's good, maybe too good if she continuously dodged his punches like it was nothing. She has shown that she is very flexible to the point of being labeled an acrobat. Her agility is always on cue when she dogged punch after punch and swift counters with her kicks. There is no doubt in Jet's mind that this girl is excellent in hands on combat and he likes it.

From the sidelines, he could hear someone yell, "Get her Jet!" and maybe a few cheering for the unnamed female. After several minutes, more on lookers started cheering and routing when things started to get real good. Jet wasn't going to use his magic since he agreed on her terms, but he knew what other actions to take to win this. He had some tricks up his sleeves and he has high hopes that he will take her down. He made a swing at her face, but she quickly dodges it but got a surprise when his knee drove into her abdomen. She let out a gasp but didn't let the hit effect her, she resumed her fight with Jet and was instantly taken aback when his fist collided into her face. Needless to say, not the best move on his part. She is now livid. No one dares to hit her in the face. The hit brought some unwanted memories back from when she was a child and wasn't sure if she could shake them off. The memories are still fresh to her despite them being from twelve years ago and those memories made her angry. 'Get out of my head,' she yelled at those memories then swung viciously at Jet's right jaw.

Her fist collided into his jaw where she then momentarily swept a kick into his ribs, almost causing them to break but she held that back. She wasn't supposed to, but she knew that it would only cause unwanted hatred towards her and that's not exactly something she needs. Jet recovers from her kick and made an attempt to hit in the face again but she dodged it and returned the favor. He let that punch hit him because after the kick to the ribs, he felt that there was something that triggered her to get vicious and he does not want that to happen again. He deserved it to say the least, but he wasn't going to take full punishment from her wrath.

Then Jet realized that this fight had gone on longer then he wanted. He was getting tired and made the last few moves he had. He swung to punch her then tried to swing to knock her off balance but both of those attempts were avoided and she was able to grab his arm. He didn't realize it at first, but he was quickly swung off his feet, over her head and flung to the ground with a grunt with her sitting on top of him. She made a cry as she drew a hand back and brought it down, only to avoid his face. Her fist collided onto the earth behind him and quiet frankly he didn't understand it. It would have been her finishing blow, so he had to wonder why she decided not to finish him off.

He slowly turned his gaze onto hers and that's when he noticed her eyes. They are a brilliant golden hazel with a dark outline along the edge of the iris. He then took notice of they tiny yet slit pupils in her eyes, that's when it hit him that there is something very different about her then the rest of the girls in the guild but he couldn't tell what. His thoughts were interrupted when the girl above him spoke in a very kind and wholesome manner. He didn't think she had a voice like that and it was a very intoxicating voice that he couldn't get enough of.

"You have proven yourself to be a worthy opponent to spar with."

"Worthy to spare with? What the hell are you talking about, lady?"

Jet watched as she drew her hand away from the ground and dusted off dirt from her knuckles. She didn't look at him when she pulled back but remained to sit on him which only gave the on lookers an opportunity to glare at them in awe of what is happening before them.

"I'm not like any other person here, I'm different. I could say that I was testing waters to see who would be willing to fight me without using magic and you're actually the first one that didn't give me the benefit of a doubt and accepted a challenge without knowing what magic I possess. In other words, I believe we would be good friends, if you give me a chance."

"Well, you sure do have a funny way of approaching people about it. You could just ask."

"Then where is the fun in that."

She immediately got up from his lap and straightened up her steal guards from behind her and the lavender belt that held them. She gives him a sweet smile then offers a hand to him but he didn't take right away. "Tell me, what is your name?" the girl asked finally.

It took him a minute to realize what was happening but quickly responded before taking her hand. "The name's Jet. What's yours cutie?"

She blushed but only briefly then gave him a cute smile. "The name's Hazel, Hazel Witchbane. It's a pleasure to meet you properly, Jet."

* * *

So, what do you think? I decided to add more chapters to this so you can get a good concept of her background and history, which is not a nice one. After that I'm planning on writing a chapter story containing her and Team Natsu, but give me a shout out if you would like to see this. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review. Chow :)


	2. Two Weeks Later

I decided to take this story a little further and reveal a little bit of Hazel's past. More of it will come into full swing when I start working on the follow-up story to this. So for the time being, here is chapter two for you. Enjoy! :)

* * *

_The evening was young. The sun begun to drift towards the horizon, showing a splendor of colors of orange, fuchsia, violet and deep blue as a twinge of stars begun to show in the sky behind a young Hazel. Her golden green eyes scanned the horizon with interest as the sun dipped further and further, almost leaving her in darkness. She didn't mind it though. She loves the evening especially at this time when the stars are beginning to come out. Hazel turns her innocent eyes to the sky directly above her to see a few stars shining brightly and was lost in thought for only a moment. Her thoughts were disturbed so abruptly from a rough, hard object hitting the crown of her skull with a thunk._

_Hazel yelps from the sheering pain on top of her head and was about to turn to see what hit her when another object hit her in the shoulder. It hurt just as much as the hit to her head, but nothing compared when more started hitting her from behind. She made a startled cry as she turns to face her attackers to only get struck by a large rock in the forehead. The impact cut her flesh that resulted in a small trickle of blood running down her nose._

"_Stop it!" Hazel screams when she heard joyful laughter erupted in her eardrums._

"_Shut up, Witchbane Freak!" a young boys voice rings as he tossed a rock at her wrist and hit its mark._

"_Ow, leave me alone!" she screams as she tries to run but gets knocked backwards and onto the hard ground. Her elbows scrap the ground but despite the pain, Hazel quickly got back on her feet to attempt another escape. Just as she stood, she is shoved back to the dirt road with a huff._

"_Where do you think you're going, freak? We're not done yet." Another boy replies then roughly kicks the side of her stomach._

_She grunts and wheezes from the kick but just as one kick came and gone, more gut wrenching kicks landed on her thighs and legs, a few strayed to her stomach. Some of the boys stomped on her arms and hands, trying to enable the fallen Hazel from moving. Large welts and bruises are showing on her arms and legs and cuts from the rocks begun to sting from the coolness of night now settling over her. Hazel couldn't help but cry. The pain is unbearable as the local boys continued to kick at her, but the pain in her heart is nothing. She is miles from home so her mother and father won't be able to come help her nor will any other soul that is around. No one liked her and she knew that. She knew that everybody feared her because of the family name but also from the type of magic she has. Hazel can't help herself when she is still young and unable to control it. But why would it result to this? Why would these boys result to beating her so mercifully? Do they hate her that much? Or do they just want to see her die?_

_Hazel lets out a sad moan as her body begun to get heavily bruised and felt that no one was going to help her. She couldn't move, well she didn't want to because Hazel knew they would just knock her back down to the ground. When she thought all hope was lost, a bone chilling and threatening roar echoed along the road. The boys stopped kicking at Hazel to see what had made that horrifying sound, only to get a horrible surprise that a large creature towered over them like a black cloud. They screamed, they cried and ran like hell away from the fallen Hazel to their parents, but mostly from the creature that stood behind her._

_Despite her injuries, Hazel had enough strength to roll on her stomach and look to see what it was that just saved her from her possible death._

_Her breathe hitched and eyes widened at the sight in front of her. She couldn't wrap her mind around the concept of the creature in front of her but Hazel knew that she wasn't afraid. She wasn't afraid that the creature was a magnificent dark green dragon with its wings still spread with such a strong and comforting presence. It's eyes glowed a brilliant gold as they looked down at a beaten Hazel who had not one single ounce of fear in her tiny body. Needless to say they were impressed but felt that the child was just too weak to realize that it was hungry and they could very well swallow her whole. But in a condition like this, the dragon wouldn't put more harm on her._

"_Are you alright child?" the dragon asked her in a smooth, grainy tone that calmed Hazel. She didn't know why it calmed her but it did._

"_I wish I could say yes, but those boys beat me real bad and_" she sobbed loudly when Hazel thought of what her father would say, yet alone her loving mother._

"_No need to say more. I will take you back to your parents to heal your wounds and nothing further. After tonight, you will forget that I even exist."_

_Hazel continued to cry as the dragon gently lifted her feet off the the ground then placed her on their back. After the young girl was settled snuggly at the base of her neck and gently gripping her side, the dragon flew in the night sky where Hazel's fate will soon be sealed._

"Oi! Hazel!" a voice suddenly broke her train of thought. She quickly looks up from her book that she obviously spaced out on and saw Natsu jump onto her table, knocking over her juice. She made a startled cry as she dropped her book to the table and let the purple liquid of Grape juice splash on her shirt.

She couldn't register what happened at first because she was still a little shaken up from that memory. When was the last time she spaced out like that? That's when she remembered what day it was and instantly became aggressive. "What the hell, Natsu? You can't just come barging up to people like that. You are damn lucky that I am not kicking your ass right now!"

"Hey, flame-brain. Are you asking for a death wish? Apologize to her, man! You know how she gets." Gray suddenly yelled at him when he approached Hazel's table with teeth baring.

"What should I apologize for? I didn't do anything wrong."

"You nearly ruined her book from springing onto the table like that, you dumbass!"

"She spaced out, how else was I suppose to get her attention?"

"There are other ways to get someone's attention instead of being a spring-loaded jackass!"

"Who are you calling a jackass, popsicle-boy!"

Natsu and Gray's yelling begun to get louder much to Hazel's liking, of course, there are always surprises here. Hazel has learned from the past two weeks in the guild that its never the same in here and always unpredictable. She has come to know faces which of course she had to put names with the faces and she's actually pretty good in remembering. Two weeks, that's all it took for her to realize that she is not going to get a lot of peace and quiet around here. Hazel would have left the guild by now because of the noise, but she actually warmed up to a couple of people here. A couple meaning three and one of them is her sparring buddy and voice of reason, Jet. She smiled in her head at the thought of him but her head soon begun to ache from the constant yelling which at some point, she doesn't know when, they started punching and kicking.

She lets out a hard sigh from her lungs then shifts her gaze to the two brawling idiots. "If you two are going to brawl like this, can you please take it somewhere else. You're giving me a headache." Hazel complained.

She watched as the two continued to brawl, not even hearing her complain that they were causing the headache. Of course when it picked up, she let out an unsatisfactory groan and was about to give up hope when she heard both of them squeal in protest. She looks up from staring at the wood grain to spot Gajeel grasping the two at the collars. Her heart flutters when she gasped silently under her breath at him for finally stepping in. She has a great deal of respect towards the Iron Slayer and that respect towards him gives Hazel a certain peace in her mind. She doesn't understand it yet, but she knew that if she was willing to explore this feeling, they could be really good friends. Hazel gives him an unseen smile then glances at the book that remained opened.

The pages were not damaged from her grape juice which she is more then happy about because it is one of her favorite novels. Once she knew that her book was safe from stains, Hazel looks away to see what is happening around her. She's glad she did because Gajeel sent Natsu barreling in her direction from a massive punch to his face. She squeals from the sight and completely avoids the hurled body by jumping onto the bench and flinging herself to the left, almost falling off. Once she realized that she was out of harms way and Natsu face planted on her book, she gave Gajeel a glare that made him cower slightly.

"You couldn't have sent him flying in different direction other then my own, can you?"

"Yeah, sorry about that, had to teach him a lesson of some sort."

"Lesson met, I see. Oi, Salamander, get up! You're wrinkling the pages!" Hazel growls then pulls his head off her book.

Once his face was away from the printed pages, he glanced over his shoulder at her and gave a quick apology before he climbed over the table to the other side. He calmed down, but now he is fascinated at what Hazel was reading.

"Sorry, Hazel, what are you reading anyway? Is it any good?"

"It is, but I don't think it's something you will be interested in reading since it's a mystery novel."

"A mystery novel, huh? What's it called?" Natsu asked with his innocent eyes wide in interest, at least he is getting her to talk other then her usual small talk which is on the norm.

"You really want to know? It's a book called, _None of Your Business_."

"Hey!"

She hears both Gray and Gajeel snicker from her response but regained their composer when Natsu glared daggers at them. Hazel chuckled softly to herself then retained her cold demeanor.

"But I'm sure that's not what you came here for. What is it that you want, Natsu?" Hazel asked roughly with boredom apparent in her tone and adjusted her glasses back to the bridge of her nose.

"I wanted to ask you something."

"So ask it."

"Lucy, Gray and I are taking a mission and we we're wondering if you would join us?"

Silence. Hazel glared at him for a moment then blinked, twice. They wanted _her_ to join a mission with them? Why? She is greatly confused of why they wanted her to join when they clearly had Erza as part of Team Natsu. Just as she opened her mouth to retort back, Natsu handed her the job description. She looked over it fairly quickly: take out a couple of dark mages that have been terrorizing a local shop. The reward was pretty steep, as in 711,000 jewels, steep. What kind of reward is that? She's tempted to take the job but for some reason, the mission seemed odd to her. Hazel could tell that whoever asked for this is leaving something out and quiet frankly, she doesn't want to deal with.

"We would have asked Erza, but she's away on a mission and won't be back in a few days. Wendy can't because she's already heading out on a mission with Charle and Romeo tomorrow. So, who better to ask then the new girl." Natsu explained with his signature grin on his face.

She huffs loudly then gave him a response that erased his grin. "Not interested." Momentarily, she stood from the bench and grabbed her book to leave the guild and look for a solo job.

"Oh come on, why not? You have been on what seems like five solo jobs in two weeks. So why not team up with us?"

"Because that is what I prefer. Besides, with your destructive streak we would be walking away with less then what we anticipated."

"I can see why she would be worried about that. You do have a tendency to leave a mess behind you after a mission." Gajeel replied as he eyed Natsu.

"Shut up, metal-head, besides we need one more female on the team."

"Then why don't you ask your girlfriend, Lisanna?" Hazel asked as she turned to glare at him.

"She's not my girlfriend!" Natsu blushed a shade close to Era's.

"She's already heading out on a mission with Elfman and Evergreen. So she can't." Gray butted, silently snickering at Natsu from his reaction about Lisanna.

"Then what about Juvia? I'm pretty sure that she would love to join you, Gray."

Gray said nothing but blush brightly. He looked away from Hazel to avoid eye contact with her which this is a clear sign to Hazel that he did ask but advised against it. Hazel was confused at first, but there was no hiding that Gray has feelings towards Juvia and didn't want those feelings to be exposed to anyone, at least not yet. She smiled softly at him in response.

"I see. Well, my answer is still no. You just have to find someone else. Thanks for offering though." Hazel said quickly then rushed out of the guild.

On her way out, she saw Lucy step in and made an attempt to say "Hi," but Hazel brushed past her with an apologetic glare then went out the door. Lucy watched Hazel disappear from her sight then turned to the boys that gave her confused glares. Natsu looked hurt, almost to the point of crying it seemed. Gray just seemed fine but slightly offended. Gajeel, well, his same stotic expression, but he was thinking. He could tell that there was something more to it then not being interested. He glanced at Lucy and gave her a, particular glare that Gray and Natsu didn't see. Lucy only nodded in agreement then turned her eyes to the guild hall doors. She has this determined look on her face and believes she knows how to convince Hazel to taking the job with them.

* * *

Hazel silently walked along the streets of Magnolia in deep thought. Her mind wasn't on the job request that Natsu asked for her to come with, but on what happened before that. She spaced out while she read and that never happens to her. Why now? She remembers that night still very vividly as if it happened yesterday. She got to meet a dragon and Hazel thought it was supposed to be fate bringing the dragon to her so she could control her magic. But when she woke the next morning heavily bandaged and was able to move, the dragon was nowhere to be found. She didn't get to thank the dragon properly after what they did for her and Hazel wanted to find the dragon, but her father forbid her to do so. Oh, her father. The thought of that man made her cringe, no shiver in fury.

'Of all times, why did I have to think about him?' Hazel thought to herself with a slight growl and tried to think of something else that could take her mind off of her father. She tried to think about sparring with Jet but she was in no mood or shape to fight. Her thoughts kept running back to her father and she wished she could get rid of them. But Hazel then remembered what day it was and sighs heavily. 'Just five more days. I can't believe it has been this long.' Hazel thought again then turned her mind to her mother. She couldn't remember the last time she thought of her, months, years. It has to be years.

Hazel's thoughts were disturbed when she heard a young girl calling to her mother and she sounded so cheerful and upbeat. "Mommy, mommy, look!"

Hazel turned her eyes to the cute young girl with a colorful flower lei in her hands and is presenting it to her gorgeous mother. She kind of had to gasp at her features because the mother reminded Hazel of her own. Long wavy strawberry blonde hair with hazel eyes and creamy ivory skin. She has a bright smile on her face as she looked down at her daughter.

"That is absolutely beautiful, Aria."

"I made it just for you in my arts and craft class, mommy! I was real good today at practice too and my instructor thinks I'm ready for his advance class."

Obviously the little girl is talking about dance classes because she is wearing dancing shoes. Her mother gave her an even brighter smile then stooped low to her daughter's level and placed her hands on Aria's shoulders. "I am so proud of you, Aria. For being such a good girl for the past few weeks how about we get some ice cream. Just don't tell your daddy that I'm spoiling your supper." The mother replied with a smile.

"YEAH! Ice cream, ice cream! Let's go, mommy!" the little girl replied happily then took her mother's hand and went running down the street.

"Slow down, honey!" the mother replied quickly then disappeared around a corner.

Hazel couldn't help but smile sweetly and the mother and daughter interacting so happily together. It was such a sweet scene to her but it brought back awful memories. She has a lump stuck in her throat from holding back a sob and her bottom lip of her smile quivered uncontrollably. She wanted to cry. That interaction not only brought back memories but it reminded Hazel that she doesn't have a mother anymore and that thought nearly made her start crying. Before a single tear could roll down her face, someone came jumping out of nowhere with a loud booming voice erupting her eardrums.

She makes a loud, startled cry and jumps backwards from being scared like that. It took her a good minute to realize that it was Gajeel that stood beside her with his signature grin on his face and is glaring at her. Hazel seethed from his rude appearance and walloped him a good one on the top of his head.

"WHAT THE HELL! DON'T SNEAK UP ME LIKE THAT _EVER_ AGAIN! JERK!" Hazel yelled as she eyed a cowering Gajeel with his hands on his head, hissing loudly from the searing pain.

Then she heard someone laughing, uncontrollably. She looks over her shoulder and spotted Lucy doubling over from the sight of Hazel's comical reaction. Hazel pouts and growls in her throat from being laughed at like that, but that was when she realized that Gajeel was laughing, too. She scowls him and shot a dangerous glare in Lucy's direction.

"I am so sorry, Hazel," Lucy stared as she tried to stop her laughing. "We weren't expecting you to react so strongly like that." Lucy added still trying to contain her laugh.

"You seem _so_ _sincere_." Hazel grumbled then crossed her arms in front of her with a pout.

"You should've seen your face, Haze. Fucking priceless." Gajeel replies as he stood, laughing still as well.

"You should have seen your face when I clubbed you, you damn goat." Then Hazel remembered something when she finally regained her composure. They were here for a reason and she had to find out before they started picking on her about her scare.

"Excuse me for being rude, but what do you two want?" She replied in a firm tone.

"Oh, I wanted to ask you something back at the guild but you were already in a rush out. Although, I don't think this is the right place to talk though when we're out in the open like this. Would you like to join me and Gajeel for coffee later?"

Hazel is a little confused from the way Lucy is acting but nonetheless gave her a response that she thinks will mess with her head a little. "You're going to be paying for it, right?" Sounding serious and firm.

Of course Lucy gave her a glare that Hazel was wanting and was about to tell her off when Hazel chuckled lightly and waved a hand in front of her. "I was just kidding, so don't get your panties in a bunch. Yes, I'd love to join you."

"Awesome! See you about seven o'clock?"

"Yeah, see you then." Hazel replied quickly as Lucy started walking away proudly.

Gajeel walked out from behind her and placed a hand on top of her head to ruffle her hair. "See you around, Turnip Green."

"Watch it, you hedge-hog. I'm going to get you back eventually for scaring me the way you did."

"Ha, I would like to see you try to scare me out of my pants."

Hazel smiles proudly and gives me an alluring gaze that sent shivers down his spine. That's a gaze she doesn't give anyone, so this was a first for him and her. "Should I take that as a challenge?"

"Challenge, dare, whatever. Give it your best shot. See you around, Hazel."

"Catch you later, Redfox." Hazel replied shortly then gave him a small wave as she walked away with a smile on her face.

Gajeel watched her walk off with a peculiar glare, getting that vibe again that there is something off about her. He has been wondering about it ever since she joined the guild and hasn't displayed her magic to anyone yet. He can tell she's hiding something and he desperately wants to find out. But chances will come soon enough.

* * *

Later that evening, Hazel walked down the nearly dark streets of Magnolia again heading in the direction where she will be meeting Lucy and Gajeel for coffee. She knows where she's going because she has been there several times and enjoys that cafe because the coffee is good and they have some of the most scrumptious bear claws. Her mouth watered just from thinking about it but she had to pass up the delicious pastry when she ate not too long ago. Her stomach is uncomfortably full since she made a really good meal for herself and nearly ate the whole thing. Desert at this point is out of the question, but coffee sure isn't. She turned her eyes away from the street that she has been eyeing for the longest time to see the coffee shop in view. Hazel can see that Lucy and Gajeel already arrived and are talking rather softly. She had to glare at them knowingly but had a small smile from how those two were acting.

Once she came closer to the two, Lucy beamed happily then ushered her to the table that they were sitting at. Hazel chuckled softly then planted herself on a chair across from the couple. "I hope you don't mind if I got you the house special today. It's _really_ good." Lucy replied with a wide smile.

"Not at all, it's one of my favorites. You might want to be careful with that smile of yours, Luce. I could very well stay that way. So, what got you so happy?" Hazel asked as she lend forward with the caramel mocha latte in her hands.

"Oh, it was something that Gajeel said before you got here. Nothing that you should worry yourself with, that's for sure."

"Considering the bright smile, that it tickled you greatly not that it bothers me any. So, if you don't mind me asking without you blowing your top, but when did you two start dating?" Hazel asked suddenly with a smile on her face.

Lucy blushed that she nearly glowed with wide eyes and Gajeel couldn't help but blush a little as well from her throwing that out in the open. "Oh, we're not dating!" Lucy replied nervously with arms waving in front of her.

"Oh come on, Luce. It's as clear as day plus he does have an arm wrapped around you." Hazel beamed while she pointed at Gajeel's arm around Lucy's shoulder. He didn't remove his arm when she pointed this out but he did give her a glare.

Lucy growled softly with a pout, wondering how Hazel knew. "How did you know?"

"It's not hard for to me sense people's wavelengths especially they change when it comes to love, Lucy. I noticed it the first day I met you two and your connection with Gajeel just keeps getting stronger. There's no denying that you two are in love and you are trying your damnest to keep it a secret. You can trust me though. Your secret is safe with me." Hazel explained.

"You can sense wavelengths? That's interesting, but that's not what I wanted to talk to you about. Thanks for keeping it to yourself, though. I was wondering if you could join me, Natsu and Gray on a mission."

Hazel had a feeling that it dealt with the mission and she wasn't afraid to say the same thing to her. "I had a feeling that's what you wanted to talk about. Natsu and Gray already approached me about it and I already gave them an answer which I'm sticking to it. I'm not interested." Hazel said flatly then took a sip of her coffee.

Lucy is confused but she had to wonder why she didn't want to join them. "Well, why not? It's not like its a dangerous mission or anything."

"It's not that, it's_" Hazel stopped herself from saying anything. She didn't want to express her concern for the mission when they were dead set in going. Hazel would have to give them a _really_ good reason why she felt the way she did and hoped that they would back out of it while they still can. But she couldn't do that. Not when Natsu and Gray were so excited in taking a mission with Lucy. Just the thought of those two made her wonder if she should reconsider but something kept telling her, no. Just don't go, she will regret it.

"It's what?" Lucy asked when Hazel didn't finish.

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it, but I stand by my decision. I'm sorry, Lucy."

At that, Lucy's smile faded and look dejected from Hazel's response. "I was really hoping that you would reconsider. We would be able to get some girl time to talk so I could get to know you better. I figured I turn to you for taking the mission with us because there is just so much that the guild doesn't know about you. We don't know what your magic is yet alone your past. I'm not trying to push you or anything, but could you at least give it more thought?"

Hazel felt her heart drop from Lucy's tone. She didn't like that tone and wanted to give her some sort of comfort and say that she would at least think about it more, but something kept telling her not to. She still has this nagging feeling and doesn't know if she should say anything. Well, there is the statement of people not knowing her magic. She has a reason for that and has an explanation for it.

"I know, no one really knows what my magic is and I much rather keep it a secret until it becomes dire. It's a magic that gets me in a lot of trouble and I want to keep it under the radar." She sighs heavily and was about to say more about it when Gajeel chimed finally.

"Why is it that you won't join, Hazel? There's something that you're hiding from them and they should at least know what your thoughts are."

"It's difficult and I can't say what my concerns are when there is a possibility of someone overhearing. If it makes you feel any better, Lucy, I will at least give it more thought." Hazel replies without thinking. She realized she said the wrong thing and wished that she could take it back. 'Damn it all! Why did I have to say anything!' Hazel screamed at herself.

Hazel saw a smile spread on Lucy's face then she pulled something out of her bag and presented it to her. "I went ahead and bought us tickets for our travels. There is a train leaving for Clover Town at eight in the morning. When you make your decision, you know where to go." Lucy replied then stood from her chair to leave Hazel to think things over.

Gajeel watched her for only a moment then turned his gaze to Hazel to tell her one last thing before he left her to her thoughts. "I suggest you reconsider and go for Lucy's sake, Haze. If you think there is something about the mission that is concerning you then you should go by your instincts and tag along, just to be safe." With that, he stood up and quickly followed after Lucy.

Hazel is left at the cafe table with her thoughts swarming. She looked down at the train ticket with a content glare. She made her decision long ago but there is something tugging at her that should go despite her head telling her not to. She has a lot to think about, but in the back of her mind she knew what she needed to do and that was to follow her heart.

* * *

So, what do you all think of this chapter? I really enjoyed writing this one and can't wait to start working on Chapter 3 which I will at least get started on this evening. Let me know what you all think. Thanks again for the read, and sorry it was a little lengthy. I can't help myself sometimes. :) Chow for now and don't forget to review.


	3. Aboard, Team Natsu

A/N: Hey everyone! After reading the story several times, I felt that I needed to do some adjustments to several chapters, maybe even more. I wasn't that all crazy about some the scenes, but I kept to the original point of the chapter.

Hope you all enjoy the update/rewrite and don't forget to review! They're always appreciated ;)

Thanks for the read.

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FAIRYTALE EXCET MY OC.

* * *

Morning came really fast for Natsu, Gray and Lucy. They stood at the platform ready to board the train for Clover Town for their mission, although they were a little antsy. Natsu and Gray eyed Lucy as they impatiently waited for their fourth team member to arrive, but they showed signs of uncertainty that they would not be coming. Lucy felt disappointed since their train will be leaving soon and she has high hopes that her conversation with Hazel yesterday got to change her mind. She's nervous, but she is also anticipating what her final decision is. She eyed the entrance of Omnibus station, waiting for Hazel to make her appearance.

"She's not coming, Luce. Just forget about it and let's go. The train will be leaving shortly." Natsu replied a low, depressing tone.

"She's coming, just give her one more minute." Lucy replied as she continued to stare out into the crowd.

"We can't spare another minute waiting on her, Lucy. She obviously made up her mind, so let's get going." Gray responded with his finger pointing at the train behind him.

Lucy looks away from the crowd over at her team, seeing the disappointment in their glares at her. She felt a twinge in her heart from the sight of them being rejected like this then made a sad nod and approached the train. Just as the three of them were about to board, they heard some shuffling and a small ahem from behind them. Lucy was the first to look while the boys followed where they found an embarrassed yet nervous Hazel in front of them. There is a twinge of pink on her cheeks and that's when they started to look at her oddly.

Hazel didn't say anything. She moved forwards to the door of the train but paused briefly to exchange a few words. "Just this once and that's it."

Before she climbed into the train, Natsu roughly squeezed her around her chest in a tight bear hug. Hazel is completely shocked yet alone caught off guard when he roughly grabbed her. Her eyes bulged like bug-eyes and mouth gapped open. She is at a loss for words, maybe even air. Natsu is to the point of suffocating her from hugging Hazel so tightly because he couldn't contain his happiness. He held her for a second longer then placed her back down on the ground with his wide grin on his face. Hazel on the other hand has an exasperated look on her face and short of breath from Natsu's bear hug.

"Glad you could make it, Hazel, and thanks for coming. It's going to be great having you on our team! Come on guys, let's get going!" He says happily with that grin of his still apparent then jumped onto the train, completely forgetting his motion sickness at the moment.

Hazel just watched him briefly with her teeth grinding in agitation then turned to Lucy and Gray. Lucy has her signature smile while Gray has this slight scowl, something that Hazel doesn't understand.

"About time you showed up. What the hell took you so long?" Gray asked slightly agitated.

"Please pardon my tardiness. I never intended to keep you waiting. It just took me longer to convince myself to partake in the mission." Hazel explained.

"Do you hate being around people that much?"

"Thanks for assuming that I detest in surrounding myself with strangers, Gray. If you must know, it takes me a while to warm up to those around me and there's a reason for it which is not up for discussion." Hazel replied with narrow eyes.

"Whatever the reason is, we should respect her wishes, Gray. Thanks for coming, Hazel. It means a lot." Lucy quickly voiced when Gray and Hazel's interaction started to go downhill. Frankly, she doesn't understand why Gray is being the way he is. Does he not care for Hazel for some reason? Or is there something else going on that she doesn't know about. Either way, Lucy is glad that Hazel is with them.

"Yeah, it's great to have you." Gray exaggerated sarcastically before starting for the train. "Now lets get going. The train will be leaving any minute now."

Hazel confusingly watched Gray for a second then turned towards Lucy, seeing her confused as well but there is a hint of joy in her big brown eyes. "Thank you for reconsidering, Hazel, even though you had to convince yourself to do so."

"It's really not necessary to thank me, Lucy."

"I think otherwise. I believe you made the right choice in coming. You'd make a great addition. I can only guess that our conversation from last night changed your mind, huh?"

"Our conversation had nothing to do with my decision making, Luce. Something occurred to me and that's all I'm going to say."

"Okay, that's fine. Still, I'm glad you made it. Now let's get on before the train rolls away." Lucy replied happily then skipped up the steps and inside the train carriage.

Hazel on the other hand eyed the entrance to the station with a content glare. She knew what she had to do and she is honestly not sure how everything is going to work out. Her nerves are on fire and her senses are flowing with her natural wavelength. She knows that something is going to happen on this mission and she is going to see to it that she is wrong for once.

* * *

The booth that the team sat in was quiet for the most part, mostly because no one knew what to start talking about while they traveled. Lucy sat opposite of Hazel and Gray with a severely motion sick Natsu in her lap. She gently stroked his hair to calm his stomach while she looked out the window next to her to watch the scenery. Gray was sitting there bored out of his mind with a hand underneath his chin and staring out into space. Hazel who has been quiet since she joined them in the booth, eyed the sleeping form of Natsu. She is curious how a dragon slayer like him could have this kind of sickness and it's rather odd for her to eye him like she is.

After a considerable amount of time in silence, Hazel finally gathered the courage to break the ice. "Is this how he is whenever he travels?"

"Yeah, its pretty constant but we still manage despite it. I'm not sure how he copes with it but it always seems my comforting fingers does the trick whenever we're traveling by train." Lucy replied quickly as she looked down at her best friend.

"It actually gets boring after a while because we should be talking strategy about the mission. In truth, he was the one that picked out the mission and naturally he is the leader of it not us. Its hard to talk strategy when he is down for the count." Gray butted with annoyance.

"I kind of figured he was the one that picked out the mission, so I have to agree with you that he is the leader of this team. However, he doesn't look like a natural born leader with the way he acts. He's kind of childish, but in a mature fashion respectively." Hazel responded right away as she continued to eye Natsu.

"He may seem childish at times, but he means well."

"So it seems. Why don't you take over the second in command Gray so we could at least discuss what action to take for this mission?"

"That seems fair. Lucy, do you have any clues of what we're up against?"

Lucy quickly shakes her head. "There's nothing for me to go on of what kind of magic the dark mages use. It's odd, the description doesn't tell us much of what exactly they are doing to terrorize the shop. It's confusing really."

"Maybe it's a good thing I came along because from what I understand and what the job description tells us, that the shop owner is leaving something out. I mean, look at the job reward. Don't you think it's a bit over the top to have four mages take down whatever the number of dark mages are?"

"Now that you mention it, the reward is pretty substantial. What are your other thoughts of the matter, Hazel?" Gray asked as he looked over at her with curiosity. He may have been a little peeved that it took Hazel so long to get to the train station, which was very apparent in his tone earlier and is going have to apologize to her, but he likes the fact that she is at least putting her two cents in. Hell, he can rely on her opinion about the job because Gray can tell that she is pretty knowledgeable in certain areas and has to wonder what her plan of attack is.

Hazel glanced at Gray briefly then held out her hand. Gray could only stare at her oddly, wondering what she is implying. "May I take a look at the mission brief, Gray?"

"Oh yeah sure, here you go." He handed the mission to her where she then sat in silence for what seemed like five minutes to look over the job again. After a while in silence, Hazel breaks the silence to tell him more.

"I have a couple of ideas of what we can do as far as a strategy plan and I have a few back-up plans if we ever get compromised. Since we don't know what kind of magic these mages have, we have to guess that they are not good ones. My plans may sound good right now, but we don't have enough information to just stick to them. I will bring them up to Natsu when we meet our client and get the proper information we need to take action. From there, we will choose which plan is best. I would like you to take the second best option we have incase the first one fails, Gray. Now bare in mind, if worse comes to worse and all our strategies fall short, there is only one other option." Hazel explained with serious glare and with several fingers cupping her chin in thought. A habit she does whenever she is in deep thought.

The tone that she gave off made both Lucy and Gray uneasy because they are not exactly sure what she has in mind right now. Although, they do have to give her credit for coming up with several battle plans and trust her that she knows what she is doing. Well, they have no choice but to trust her since she has gone on five solo missions since she joined and handled them like an S-Class ranked mage. She must be good if she has done that and has several back-up plans just to be safe. Though, they do have to question what other option she has in mind in a worse case scenario. Are they prepared for it? No.

"So, are you saying that in a worse case scenario that we abandon the mission?" Lucy asked in shock apparent in her voice.

"That's, not what I was implying. In any worse case scenario, I would like to take over the mission and finish it like I do on solo missions. Alone."

"Excuse me? You can't just take over a mission if all else fails. We handle the mission as a team."

"Listen to me, Gray. I know this is a team effort, but you have to realize if things don't go according to plan, it could very well put more shame onto Fairy Tail. If you don't want to disappoint Fairy Tail or Master Makarov for that matter, you have to trust me in taking over. Natsu is in fact the team leader with you as second in command and sorry for putting labels on it, but Lucy is our medic and we have to protect her at all cost. She has her uses with her celestial magic keys and there is no doubt in my mind that she can handle her own. She's a strong, dependable individual and her wavelength proves that. I'm here because I chose to be your backup incase something ever went wrong and I'm going to take that role to heart. When we meet the client and I have the information I need, I will present my plan of attack to Natsu and we'll go from there. I know you don't like what I'm saying, but it is the truth. Please understand my position." Hazel replied, putting everything she has been thinking about out in the open.

They had to know where she stood in all of this and she proved a very valuable point. She is in fact there as their backup and just the way she said it made her stronger then what she shows. Gray eyed her in astonishment, knowing full well that Hazel's abilities are not to be ignored or underestimated and has this good feeling that she will see to it that they succeed in their mission. She has defiantly proven her worth from what she explained just moments ago and Gray believes that she is more then trustworthy. However, he is not comfortable in her taking over the mission when it was never hers to begin with.

"I understand your position and respect your resourcefulness yet alone your capabilities, Hazel, but I hate to say that I am not comfortable in you taking over the mission. You're underestimating us. Both Natsu and I along with Erza are the strongest mages in Fairy Tail, so we are more than capable of completing a mission without someone taking over for us. I'm sorry if it rubs you the wrong way but that's how it is."

Hazel can only glare at the ice mage with disdain. The level of respect that Gray spoke of seemed minimal and frankly, Hazel felt it needed to be at a moderate level. She hasn't shown her resourcefulness or capabilities to anyone, so she had to ask herself how he could respect that when he hasn't seen her at her truest form. Her little brawl with Jet is nothing compared to her fighting skills during a mission so it felt natural for her that she is being underestimated. This is one of the reasons why she decided to go on the mission, to see what they can do so she can compare her strength to theirs. If he and Natsu are indeed the strongest mages in FairyTail then she should be more then willing to stay far away from their battles and observe. Unless something occurred, she has no problem in jumping in and eradicate the problem quickly. So she somewhat understood where he was coming from but she still has this nagging feeling that the mission Natsu took is something beyond their knowledge. Hazel read the job description numerous times to try to figure out what exactly is happening at their soon to be clients shop but eventually came up with nothing.

After at least five minutes of thick silence, Hazel spoke up on Gray's previous statement. "I understand you being defensive when I say that I would like to take over the mission; however, I feel that your level of respect of my position and abilities is minimal. You think I'm underestimating you, I feel like you are underestimating me. You don't know the full extent of my power and what my tactics are in battle. You've only seen a small fraction of it when I brawled with Jet. Do you not trust that I will get the job done right?"

"It's not like that at all! I trust that you will get the job done, I just don't think that your level of expertise is necessary for a regular class mission."

"What do you mean by my level of expertise?"

"Dammit, wrong choice of words! What I should have said is that you should only take over someone else's mission when they are unable to continue and that's usually when they are dead. Taking over Natsu's mission just because we run out of options is not how you should handle a situation. We need to work on this as a team, not individually."

"You do know I prefer to work alone for a reason, Gray. I am willing to work in a team, but as you recall I was hesitant. Just do me the favor of showing me what you and Natsu can do since you classify yourselves as strong mages. Maybe then I will show a little more respect for you."

"Why did we ask her to come along again?" Gray asked kind of angrily.

"To learn more about her. She doesn't have anyone to connect with and I figured we try to break some barriers." Lucy quickly explained as she watched Hazel nervously.

"Oh we're breaking some barriers alright. She's not very pleasant, disrespectful and thinks that she is better then anybody else. Hell, she comes off as a stuck-up, too. What made you like this anyway?" Gray asked as he glared harshly at Hazel.

She didn't say anything at first mostly because she is trying to control her anger but at the same time keeping her emotions in check. Gray's words hurt her in a way that she never expected and it's affecting her in ways that she never thought possible. Is she really that unpleasant upon one's first impression? Or does her haunting past keep her from letting people in and puts up this kind of front?

She sighed softly then turned her gaze out the window to watch the scenery. There's nothing but clear blue skies and green hills rolling past the train car. Every so often there will be a glimpse of mountain peaks before they vanished behind lush trees and small rundown shacks running along the train tracks. The scene is a little serene but boring. Hazel sighs again as she thought about the question Gray asked. Hazel knows how she got this way but talking about it in front of him made her uncomfortable.

"My past made me this way." She replied shortly with her gaze still looking out the window.

Gray couldn't help but notice the solemn look on her face even the tone she gave off. It sounded like she regrets her past, maybe even resents it. That look she has is something he has seen before and honestly, he feels her pain. He didn't have that great of a past and that look of hers confirms that she probably had a worse one. He is curious to know of what happened, but he figured that he should wait. Gray sees these many layers of hers and wants to pull them back one by one. That way he will be able to understand her better and know the real Hazel Witchbane deep within her. What he wasn't expecting though is Lucy speaking out of her own curiosity of Hazel's past and frankly, he is preparing himself for an argument between the two girls.

"Do you want to talk about?"

"No." Hazel quickly replies.

"Why don't you want to talk about it?"

"I think it's best we keep our curiosity in check, Luce. If she doesn't want to talk about it then we should respect her wishes and leave it alone." Gray suddenly intervened.

Lucy at that point kept her mouth shut, mostly because she is surprised at Gray for coming in between them and using the same line she used earlier. Despite his behavior at that moment and the conversation between him and Hazel, Lucy can tell that they tolerate each other to a point but are still uncomfortable with one another. It's strange really because they do seem to get along at a certain degree.

Hazel, who was staring out the window at the time turned her gaze on Gray with surprise apparent on her features. She thought that he was going to speak out and ask of what would make her indifferent towards others, but Lucy ended up surprising her instead. Just that little simple gesture alone brought her and Gray on even ground where they respect one another at a certain degree. Which is fine by her. She eyed Gray a second longer before she gave him a small smile, which he returned the favor.

Lucy watched the two exchange small smiles with a smile herself. She's at least glad that some of the bumps were smoothed out and they are on better terms now. She did have to inwardly kick herself in the ass for asking Hazel about her past when it was clear to her that Hazel didn't want to go into details about it.

"I'm sorry, Hazel. I shouldn't have asked if you wanted to talk about it. Whenever you are ready to talk, do know you have people here that are more than willing to listen."

"I will keep that in mind, thanks. And don't apologize because you were curious, Lucy. You have a right to wonder why I don't want to talk about my past and I will just put it in simple words, it's a sour topic."

"I understand. I think if you asked anybody in the guild of what their past was like they would be hesitant themselves. But enough of that, how about a game of twenty questions?"

"Yeah, I'm game. Have you ever played, Hazel?" Gray asks her with excitement.

"I've played the game quiet a bit while on the road before I came to Fairy Tale, so I must warn you that I'm pretty good at it." Hazel quickly replies with a little sparkle in her eyes.

"Oh really now, want to make a little wager?" Gray replies confidently with a smirk.

"What are the stakes?"

"The first one to guess within fifteen questions makes the loser do something embarrassing of their choice."

"You've already accomplished the most embarrassing of stripping stark ass naked plenty of times, Gray, twice in front of me as a matter of fact."

Gray turned a slight crimson when he remembered the first time he stripped down to basically nothing and got a surprising reaction out of her. Most people at the guild would yell at him to put his clothes back on and the girls would turn away blushing madly while squealing in protest. Hazel, however, was not like the other girls. Her blush was barely visible from underneath her lavender glasses, slack jawed and wide-eyed at the sight of his naked physique. He felt her eyes graze his form from a short distance that he actually puffed out his chest just to further her embarrassment. Instead, he saw her blush deepen and made a whimper escape her lips. Eventually Hazel stood from her seat about a few minutes later and stumbled out of the guild, mumbling incoherent words.

The second time though was purposeful. When he got that reaction out of Hazel the first time, he wanted to know how she would react the second time. He stood in front of her table like he usually did when he came over to say 'hi' and just took everything off with a confident smirk on his lips. Hazel blushed crimson before she flung her entire chocolate milkshake at him that splattered all over his chest, stomach and genitals. After her initial shock, she retreated out of the guild with her book hiding her face while she screamed, "Keep your damn clothes on, stripper!"

Needles to say he was sticky for about a week afterwards and never stripped in front of her again. He doesn't want to know what would happen if he were to try it a third time. Just the thought of it made a shiver run down his spine because he felt that she would do something other then flinging a chocolate milkshake with whipped cream and three cherries at him. "I'm sure you will come up with something embarrassing if I were to lose, which I'm doubtful. So, are you in?"

"Bring it on, Popsicle-Boy." Hazel replies confidently with a genuine smile apparent on her face. She loves to compete and this one is no exception. She is a walking encyclopedia after all.


	4. A Mission's Glimpse

When the team finally arrived to Clover Town, Gray, Lucy and Hazel immediately sought out their client's location. With Natsu still out of it, Hazel openly volunteered to carry the delinquent fire dragon slayer. Gray was surprised that she wanted to carry him when she didn't really care for Natsu to begin with but he didn't complain. He figured it would be good for her to get use to him and start a friendship. Something he should consider since they established a good tolerance for one another before and after their game of twenty questions.

After thinking about it, he remembered that he lost to Hazel. Gray is pretty good considering he beaten Natsu a few times and lost one to Erza, but he didn't expect Hazel to guess what Lucy thought of by the twelve question. Only now he has to worry what Hazel has in mind to embarrass him. There are a few possibilities he can think of, but with Hazel you wouldn't know what to expect. So Gray can only hope that whatever she plans to do to him won't be too humiliating.

When they were halfway to their destination, the weight from Natsu bearing down on Hazel's back got the better of her. She knew he was heavy and dealt with it nonetheless, but after half an hour walking it got tiring. She was tempted to just throw him off but thought better of it. All it really took for him to stir was her readjusting him. When he realized that they were no longer on the train and was being carried via piggyback on Hazel's back, he regained his composure. Even though he was confused that it was Hazel carrying him instead of Gray, he graciously thanked her for her kindness.

Hazel had been silent the whole time while they traveled and Natsu of course tried to get her to talk but failed countless times. He could tell from her attitude that she wasn't in the mood and he usually doesn't give up but Natsu has learned first hand not to push her buttons when she is in a bad mood. It made him shiver at the thought of him getting his lesson learned when he openly called her a freak the second day she joined the guild. She beat him senselessly from being referred by that name but she was also unleashing her frustrations and anger out on him when she was in a bad mood to begin with. So needless to say, Natsu is not going to egg her on in talking. However, Natsu remembered after her blowout that she came to him and apologized for lashing out at him hours afterwards. He doesn't understand her at times, but he can tell that there is some good in her. They just can't see it yet.

When they did arrive to the clients shop, the four stood outside with their mouths gapping. It was a pretty decent sized shop and was a little on the fancy side despite its location. The shop is a two-story building made out of white alabaster and rich colored wood. The shop is in magic trading and supplies, which they all agreed silently that they could all use something after their mission is successfully completed.

They were happily greeted upon arriving at the door by one of the owner's employees and were escorted to the office that was on the second floor of the shop. The four mages piled into a spacious office that looked of a middle-aged man's study. The room is filled with books along either side of the wall beside them, an antique globe that sat in the back, a grandfather clock nestled snuggly in a back corner and a large mahogany chest just behind the owner. A charming antique chandelier in the middle of the room handsomely lights the room while the afternoon sun spilled out from a window behind the male. He has a very pleased smile when the four entered the room and gave them a cheerful welcome.

"Welcome to my shop, younglings. You must be the mages from FairyTail. The name's Harold Barrett. Thank you so much for coming and taking care of the job for me. Mind if I ask of your names before we begin?" Harold asked as his full mustache wiggled in delight.

Hazel had to contain herself from the sight of the man's bushy mustache moving like it was, but she couldn't help but take in the man's feature while he still smiled so brightly. The man is in his late forties, possibly pushing fifty, and is balding at the crown. His face is beginning to show faint wrinkles around his eyes and mouth, his nose was abnormally large and dipped downwards. For his age, he looked somewhat attractive despite is failing physique. Looked like the guy is packing some weight around his mid-section but not to any extremes.

"Sure thing, pops. I'm Natsu Dragneel and these are my friends Gray Fullbuster and Lucy Heartfillia. And this is our newest member of the FairyTail family _" Natsu chimed brightly before he was cut short by Harold.

"Pardon my rudeness, but are you Hazel Witchbane?" Harold asked her with an excited tone.

Natsu, Gray and Lucy made a quick glance at Hazel to see her placid gaze on their client. Hazel just stared at him for a moment before she slowly blinked in recognition.

"The one and only. It's a pleasure to be of service, Mr. Barrett." Hazel quickly replies as she bowed at the waist slightly with a hand over her heart.

"The pleasure is all mine. I'm actually quiet honored to have you in my presence, Miss Hazel. You would not believe the amount of respect and loyalty you have despite being Ivan's daughter. He has left quiet an impression over the years."

"I'm sure he has. The only reason why that is, Mr. Barrett, is the choice of trade he went into. I'm not exactly proud that I bear the family name because of it but it's also for the fact that he has brought fear upon Earth Land."

"I would have to admit that he has spread unwanted fear among us. Which only makes me wonder what he has been up to lately? How is your father, Hazel?"

Hazel paused for a moment mostly because she didn't want to reveal too much of her history in front of her guild members. Secondly, but most importantly, she did not like talking about it freely in front of strangers. However, the thought of her father springing so causally in their meeting sparked unwanted anger towards the man. She held back a furious growl to politely but firmly inform their client of her connection with her father.

"I wouldn't know. I haven't seen or heard from that disgrace of a man in ten years and I don't plan on contacting him anytime soon."

Mr. Barrett looked at her oddly from her tone, just a little taken aback but nonetheless surprised that Hazel wants nothing to do with her father. It struck him as odd because he wasn't sure what has happened to her that she would have that kind of opinion but he did know the Witchbane history. It's not a good one to say the least, especially the events that occurred over the years that has caused so much fear towards the Witchbane's.

"It's been that long, huh? It's a shame really, from what I've heard that your father misses you dearly and is searching for you."

Hazel scuffs loudly at this. "I doubt that he misses me. That cold-hearted bastard could care less of my safety but it's not a topic to talk about so freely in front of my guild mates."

"Now, now, no need for language. You shouldn't talk about your father that way. Sorry to prude, but do your friends here know anything about your past?" The owner suddenly asked.

Hazel inhaled sharply from him mentioning anything about it, she's actually wondering why he's asking her these questions. Come to think of it, why would their client be asking about her anyway? It was odd to her but Hazel and her rag tag team were not here to discuss her history but the job they took. Although, there is something odd about the question that it is bothering her. Why was he asking about her guild mates as friends of hers? If she gave him an answer that he wanted, then he could very well use that information to tip her off. Call her paranoid, but she is now beginning to think that there is something else going on instead of his shop being terrorized by dark mages.

Lucy, who has been watching her the whole time, noticed Hazel's change in attitude but she could see that her fingers curled into a loose fist. She could tell that the topic is getting under her skin and quiet frankly someone needed to interject soon before Hazel lost control of her emotions. Just as she was about to interject into the conversation, Hazel once again opened her mouth but it left her companions in a state of shock.

"These people here are not friends of mine, I don't even consider them family. They are simply colleagues, acquaintances really and nothing further. As far as my past is concerned, they don't need to know the full details of my history. I'm not even sure why this is an ongoing topic. We came here to fix a problem that you're facing not to discuss my horrid past. So, if you would please give us more information about this job so we can start working."

The three mages looked at Hazel with complete shock as she spoke to their client in that fashion, wondering if they are now no longer needed because of her attitude. They were also hurt that she would not consider them friends, especially Lucy. 'Why is she acting so hostile all of the sudden? Is there something that we are missing?' Lucy thought as she continued to eye Hazel from beside her.

Natsu, however, gave Hazel a furious glare but she paid no mind to that expression of his. However, she did turn to him that resulted in him erasing his expression. The look in her eye looked furious, but Natsu can tell that there is this hidden sadness and regret in her stare. He is confused and had to wonder what made her have that awful expression.

"You're the team leader, Natsu, now speak up before I do." Hazel growled under her breath, hoping that he would catch her drift and take over and get them out of this conversation that should have been dismissed long ago.

"Like my, "colleague" mentioned before, could you tell us more about this job? Like, could you tell us what it is these dark mages are doing to terrorize your shop?" Natsu quickly asked when he noticed the owner was about the add something about Hazel's attitude. Natsu could tell that she needed rescuing from that conversation and he was happy to oblige. His dragon instincts were telling him that she was on the verge of snapping and they needed to keep her anger in check. Natsu still did not like the fact that she disregarded the team as colleagues instead of friends, yet alone family. Well, he can understand the family part since she hasn't been with the guild long enough to call them her family yet. She is still trying to warm up to socializing with everyone at the guild, considering now that he has a good idea of what caused her to be the way she is. Cold, indifferent and ill-tempered. Someone has to try to ease into her heart and bring out the good in her, quickly.

Distracting Mr. Barrett away from Hazel was very easy to say the least and Natsu was glad that they quickly changed the subject.

"Of course," Harold replied then made a glare at Hazel with distaste after her rudeness. "I have to be honest, I'm not entirely sure why these mages are terrorizing my shop but I think it has something to do with my newest employee, which is my granddaughter Carmela. The mages have been coming to my shop at night when she is working the late shift. It has gotten to the point that the mages have tried to put harm onto her. I had to do something when they threatened her when I came to check on her last week." Harold explained.

"Do you know how long this has been going on?"

"A month exactly. At first it was little things that annoyed me like vandalizing but after my Carmela came, they became aggressive."

"If it has been like this for a month, why didn't you ask someone sooner?" Gray butted before Natsu asked another question.

"I was actually hoping that they would get bored and leave us alone, but I guess that was just wishful thinking."

"Pardon me for butting in, but I'm curious if you know anything about the mages magic. Do you have any idea on what we are dealing with?" Hazel suddenly asked. She was quiet for the most part but that was the one question that Gray and Natsu were trying to avoid. She could tell because it seemed that they wanted to take their chances and jump into battle when they got the chance.

Even though she asked that question to Mr. Barrett, he paused for a moment and Hazel caught that hesitation quickly while the others didn't. She then had to wonder why the three are not so observant with their client's actions. Hazel can tell that he is hiding something and she wants him to spill the beans so they wouldn't have any surprises during their mission.

"I'm afraid I don't have the answer to that, Miss Witchbane. Carmela and I haven't seen them use any sort of magic but I do know for certain that they have magic powers. I just don't know what they are."

"Do you know how many mages there are? Or is that something else you don't know about?" Hazel asked harshly.

"Hazel, calm down will you. Let Natsu do the rest of the talking. If we need you to step in, we'll ask you to. Other then that, please be quiet." Gray suddenly replied as he rubbed the back of his head nervously. He can tell just in her tone that she is still sour from the previous conversation and there is a lingering energy in the room. Her talking is just going to make things worse for them and he needs to put some reigns on her so she doesn't explode.

Hazel didn't say anything towards him. She just glared at him viciously but nonetheless kept her mouth shut for the reminder of the meeting.

"Please, excuse our friend here, Mr. Barrett. She's not that much of company but her intentions are same as ours. She wants to see this mission completed successfully but I think our previous conversation has brought her mood down more then normal. So forgive us, for her rudeness." Lucy chimed with a smile at him then gave Hazel a comforting glare afterwards.

"You shouldn't be speaking on her behalf. But to answer your question, Miss Witchbane, I do know how many mages there are. There is a total of three mages, at least from what I've counted that night."

"And you said you don't know what kind of magic they use, correct?" Natsu asked politely.

"Yes."

"Then would you mind telling us what time they usually attack? I think it would be a good idea to know that important detail."

"I'm sorry, but it varies. Most of the time they attack around closing time which is ten o'clock but there have been occasions when no one is present."

This caught Hazel's attention rather quickly. She had already planned out a few strategies for this mission but when she learned that they attack at various times, Hazel had to rethink her strategy. She thought very briefly of which one of the other plans she had and reconstruct it to fit this odd time slot. "May I request to speak, Natsu?" Hazel asked suddenly with her eyes straining in concentration.

"Yes, you can speak. Do you have something that you want to ask?"

"No, more like a suggestion. Since this meeting and despite the rough start because of my bluntness, I have been considering some strategy plans to complete this mission. From the information I gathered, I propose a stake out while they are closing shop. If the mages decide to strike at ten o'clock, we would be prepared to end their tirade the moment they arrive. Of course, we would put at risk an employee or Mr. Barrett's granddaughter getting in the mix."

"I would rather not put my employees or family at risk, but I do agree that a stake out would probably be best at this point." Mr. Barrett announced.

"If we do a stake out and they don't come until after they close shop, then no one else would be at risk. So I think we should start out as body guards firstly then take action from there." Gray chimed as he looked over at Hazel.

"Although, if anything doesn't go according to plan, I do have a few back-up plans in mind that we can engage in promptly. Of course, we have to prepare ourselves what kind of magic these mages have. So we have to be on our toes when they make their appearance."

"I trust that you know what to do when it comes down to it, Miss Witchbane. Despite your family history and the trouble it caused over the years, the one good thing about the family name is that the Witchbane's are very resourceful and are very keen to their surroundings. Please save my save shop and I will reward you graciously."

"You can count on us, pops because the mages at FairyTail don't give up easily." Natsu replied with his signature goofy grin.

"Thank you for your time, mages. Please feel free to look around my shop before you start the mission. Miss Witchbane, mind if I have a brief word with you in private?"

Natsu, Lucy and Gray glanced at Hazel who stopped in her tracks when he asked her to hang back which only made them worry that their private conversation is going to be a sour one. Lucy gave Hazel a comforting squeeze on her shoulder and smiled reassuringly. "Everything will be alright. If you need anything just let us know, okay?" Lucy replied then was forced away from Hazel thanks to Natsu and Gray. They pulled her out of the office then closed the door behind them.

Hazel stood still in her spot for a moment then turned her gaze at Mr. Barrett with a knowing glare. "I apologize for being brash and cross with you earlier, Mr. Barrett. The subject always puts me in a sour mood, so I'm sorry for being so rude to you." Hazel started as she gave her client an apologetic gaze. She did feel sorry but at the same time she hated that he was prying to get her past out in the open and around her guild mates.

"I understand your sourness about your past, Hazel. It is rather grim and I apologize for prying. I accept your apology and I hope that you can forgive me for bringing up such a hard topic in front of your guild mates. I do have to ask why you haven't told them about your past yet. Do you not want to them to know the grizzly truth about you?"

"I rather not have them know the gruesome details until they are ready to hear it. I have just recently joined FairyTail and I didn't give off a very good first impression to everyone. My past is to stay hidden for the time being and I want to keep it that way. Although, after the conversation we had at first gave my team mates a little glimpse of what I want to keep buried."

"I understand you want to keep it on the down low, Hazel, but you have to realize that it's going to eventually come out into the open. Most likely in a way that you will regret. I didn't want to just apologize for being so pushy about your past, Hazel, I also wanted to discuss a rumor that I have heard recently."

"A rumor?" Hazel echoed.

"When I told you that your father was searching for you, that is the truth. There is a rumor that your father Ivan has dark mages searching for you and wants you to return to him. He has a very large sum of money to reward the mages for your retrieval and to bring you back alive unharmed. Like I said, it is a rumor. I don't want you to get caught off guard if you were jumped by these mages that are hunting you down. I knew your father once before and I regret ever meeting him."

Hazel didn't say anything for a considerable amount of time after Mr. Barrett informed her of this rumor. She is staring at him with wide, angered eyes wondering why her father is searching for her. Hazel also had to wonder where he heard this rumor, but nonetheless she is on edge and has to try to focus on this mission. She sighed heavily after a few long minutes of silence then spoke to break the silence between the two.

"Thank you for informing me about this, Mr. Barrett. Its very kind of you but like you said this is only a rumor. If the rumor turns out to be true then expect to see in the headlines in the next paper that Hazel Witchbane's body has been discovered from an apparent suicide."

"Excuse me?"

"If those goons end up finding me, I will not be leaving willingly. I would fight them but I would rather end my existence then return to that man. Thank you again for giving me this information. If someone asks about me please tell them that you haven't seen me at all in this town or where I am. Can you promise me that?"

"Hazel, you can count on me in keeping a promise. Now please, Miss Hazel Witchbane, you take good care of yourself. And I bid you good luck in the future and this mission."

"Thank you, Mr. Barrett. You can count us to end the mages tirade on your beautiful shop. That's a FairyTail promise." Hazel replied then momentarily exited his office. She has a lot of thinking to do and there will most likely be some tree abuse from unleashing her bubbling anger that has been burning in her veins.

* * *

Outside of Mr. Barrett's shop, Natsu, Gray and Lucy stood around waiting for their fourth party to emerge out the building. They have been thinking about the conversation they had when they first entered the client's office and they are needless to say, curious maybe even angered that Hazel displayed such disrespect towards them.

"I wonder what kind of past that Hazel has that she would be so, hostile towards the client. What a bad first impression for a first time client, wouldn't you think?" Lucy started as she leaned against an alabaster column with her eyes to the sky.

"I would have to say that was in fact the worse first impression. I wouldn't act that way to anyone, but according to Hazel that it's okay to disrespect elders, too?" Gray replied, voicing his opinion rather harshly.

"She has a reason for being sour like that, you two. From what I could tell that she is heartbroken that she has this sort of past. I have to wonder what kind of trade her family was in that she would detest it." Natsu had said, in a way defending her of the rudeness she displayed.

"Are you supporting her behavior in there, flame brain?"

"I wasn't supporting anything, I just feel sympathy towards her. There was something in her eyes when she glared at me about us not being friends to her. She looked, so sad."

"What do you mean by that?"

"She seems really upset about it, almost like she doesn't want to be reminded of it. Of course, it only rises questions of what is so horrible about her past."

"You know, we could ask. It shouldn't be that hard to get her to open up now that the cat is out of the bag."

"I honestly think we shouldn't push her. She's already in a foul mood and I don't want another blowup from her." Natsu replied simply, hoping that Gray would understand where he is coming from. He wants to know too, but he knew that right now is not a good time to ask. He looked over his shoulder at Lucy to get her opinion, but her gaze was away from him. It looked like she wanted to know, too, and is willing to take on her fury. Natsu is disappointed in Lucy that she wants to know just as much of Hazel's past as Gray does and it worried him to great lengths.

Natsu was about to say something to the both of them when Hazel came out of the building with a very dejected expression on her face. He was the only one that noticed whilst Gray didn't acknowledge that look of pure sadness when he roughly grabbed her arm to get an explanation out of her from the behavior she displayed.

"What the hell was all of that about? You could have gotten us fired from the job, Hazel. What the hell is the matter with you?" Gray yelled close to her ear.

She didn't seem phased by it, which only made Natsu worry even more for her. Hazel didn't look at Gray but snapped back with anger apparent in her voice. "Get your hands off of me, Fullbuster!" She pronounced each word then jerked her arm out of his grasp and shot a venomous glare at him from grabbing her like that. If she wanted, Hazel could have killed Gray then with that glare still plastered on her face.

"You have no idea what I can do to you if you push this subject even further. I _do not_ want to talk about it, so you better drop it if you know what is best for you, ice-stripper." Hazel replied harshly and was about to head off to blow some steam when Gray grabbed her again, but with a harder grasp.

"Talk to me, Hazel. What is so bad about your past?" He asked as he tugged her towards him, accidentally sliding her glove down her arm and exposed cool air on her skin. This is where she drew the line. She viciously turned on her heel and back-handed Gray with her free hand across his jaw. Gray's jaw quickly swelled from her vicious hit then a very unpleasant snarl came out of her that he didn't think she would have.

"_I SAID DROP IT!__"_

Gray looked at Hazel out of shock from her viciously hitting him like she did and was about to snap back when he noticed something that he regretted seeing. When she turned and back handed him so roughly, he saw a glitter of light in front of her eyes. That glitter he saw was her tears, tears that are filled with fury and dread. He didn't think that Hazel could cry, but he was quickly proven wrong when he pushed her to the limit about her past. Gray then felt deeply pained that he forced her to talk about something that brought tremendous pain to her heart. More importantly, he didn't like the sight of her crying. He didn't like to see anybody cry, period.

"Hazel, I'm_"

"Save it. Now leave me be." Hazel replied with her voice cracked and full of grieve then quickly turned away from a severely concerned Gray who held his arm out that use to contain hers. He watched as she adjusted her glove on her arm back to where it was then gingerly held her arm in her other hand. Her head is lowered to stare down at the ground, which only made Gray feel worse not because of how upset she looks but how her past affects her when it is brought up. It just confirms Gray's assumption that she lived a horrible life before FairyTail, so he'll just have to wait until she is ready to open up to anyone who is willing to listen.

He watched on as Hazel disappeared down the road and out of sight, leaving him, Natsu and Lucy to worry for her wellbeing.

"Do you think one of us should follow her just to be safe?" Lucy asked with nervousness apparent in her voice. She's concerned for Hazel and wishes that she could help ease her pain since she considers herself a friend to her. She may have said to the client that they were not friends of hers, but Lucy feels she said that for the protection of her team mates incase Mr. Barrett decided to try touch base with her father, if he knew him personally.

"No, let's leave her be for a while and let her cool off. Looks like she really needs some time by herself. We will wait here for her when she returns. We will then at that point begin our mission." Gray replied shortly then slowly trudged away from Lucy and Natsu who looked at him suspiciously. They could tell that her actions deeply affected him and had to wonder if, by any chance Hazel gained someone that could feel her pain, to sympathize with her and give her the comfort she needs.


	5. Author's Note: Sorry :( Not A Chapter

Hey everyone!

Sorry for my prolonged absence, work and personal life has been a number one priority lately that I haven't been able to write. I actually miss it.

I also want to apologize for removing the last four chapters so suddenly.

I'm doing a major rewrite on the last half of the story. Mainly because the fight scene bothered me while I reading it. Yeah, I like to read my stuff and look at it from a readers point-of-view and needless to say, there needs to be an overhaul. I also wasn't happy with a lot of the scenes afterwards as they felt mediocre.

So, please be on stand by for the new chapters and thanks for the favorites/follows. Reviews are always appreciated, even criticism but be nice please. :)

Thanks for your patience!

~BleachedSamauri


End file.
